Per-Arne Fall

Nutritional and occupational factors influencing the risk of Parkinson's disease : a case-control study in southeastern Sweden

To investigate the possible impact of nutritional and environmental risk factors for idiopathic Parkinsons disease (IP), a case‐control study was performed in the county of Östergötland in southeastern Sweden. The study involved 113 cases of IP and 263 control subjects. Dietary, drinking, and smoking habits, as well as previous occupation, were requested in a structured questionnaire.

Survival time, mortality, and cause of death in elderly patients with Parkinson's disease: A 9-year follow-up

This community‐based study of Parkinsons disease (PD) investigated age at death and cause of death in a cohort of 170 previously studied patients. The current study is a 9‐year follow‐up, and the results are compared to 510 sex‐ and age‐matched controls from the same area. A total of 170 patients were diagnosed with PD on August 31, 1989, within a defined area of Sweden. A control group of 510 persons from the same area and with the same age and sex distribution was also examined regarding age at death and cause of death. After 9.4 years, 121 cases (71.1%) and 229 controls (44.9%) were no longer alive. Thus, the mortality rate ratio was 1.6 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3–1.8) when comparing PD patients with controls. The all‐cause hazard ratio for cases compared to controls was 2.4 (95% CI, 1.9–3.0). The mean age at death for the cases was 81.9 (95% CI, 80.3–83.0) years and for the controls 82.9 (95% CI, 82.0–83.7) years. Survival analysis also showed a shorter survival time (P < 0.001) for PD patients. Only 53% of the death certificates for the deceased patients recorded PD as an underlying or contributory cause of death. Many PD patients reached a high age but had a shorter survival than the controls. There was a significant increase in deaths from pneumonia.

Maintenance ECT in Parkinson's disease

Summary. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has an anti-Parkinsonian effect. In two cases repeated single ECT, i.e. maintenance ECT (MECT), caused different, hitherto unreported positive effects. One patient had either severe mental side effects from higher L-dopa doses or intolerable parkinsonian symptoms on lower doses. MECT entailed a marked improvement in parkinsonian symptoms without mental side effects. Another patient with depression as well as Parkinsons disease who showed a slight improvement of motor symptoms after a series of ECT presented further anti-parkinsonian effects on MECT.

ECT in Parkinson's disease. Changes in motor symptoms, monoamine metabolites and neuropeptides

SummaryElectroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was given to 16 non-depressed, non-demented patients with advanced Parkinsons disease (PD). In all the patients an antiparkinsonian effect was seen, lasting for 18 months in one patient, 3–5 months in seven patients, and a few days to four weeks in eight patients. After ECT the levels of homovanillic acid and neuropeptide Y in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were significantly increased. The eight patients with long lasting motor improvement after ECT had significantly lower CSF-3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol compared to the group with short lasting improvement.Five patients developed transitory mental confusion after ECT. In these patients, and in no others, a high albumin-ratio was found already before ECT was given-an indication of blood CSF barrier damage.Our results suggest that ECT is valuable in patients with drug refractory PD or PD with intolerance to antiparkinsonian drugs.

Short- and long-term effects of tactile massage on salivary cortisol concentrations in Parkinson’s disease: a randomised controlled pilot study

BackgroundParkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder with limited knowledge about the normal function and effects of non-pharmacological therapies on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The aim of the study was to analyse the basal diurnal and total secretion of salivary cortisol in short- and long-term aspects of tactile massage (TM).MethodsDesign: Prospective, Controlled and Randomised Multicentre Trial.Setting and interventions: Forty-five women and men, aged 50–79 years, were recruited. Twenty-nine of them were blindly randomised to tactile massage (TM) and 16 of them to the control group, rest to music (RTM). Ten interventions were given during 8 weeks followed by a 26 weeks of follow up. Salivary cortisol was collected at 8 am, 1 pm, 8 pm, and 8 am the next day, on five occasions. With the first and eighth interventions, it was collected immediately before and after intervention.Main outcome measures: The primary aim was to assess and compare cortisol concentrations before and immediately after intervention and also during the follow-up period. The secondary aim was to assess the impact of age, gender, body mass index (BMI), duration and severity of PD, effects of interventional time-point of the day, and levodopa doses on cortisol concentration.ResultsThe median cortisol concentrations for all participants were 16.0, 5.8, 2.8, and 14.0 nmol/L at baseline, later reproduced four times without significant differences. Cortisol concentrations decreased significantly after TM intervention but no change in diurnal salivary cortisol pattern was found. The findings of reduced salivary cortisol concentrations immediately after the interventions are in agreement with previous studies. However, there was no significant difference between the TM and control groups. There were no significant correlations between cortisol concentrations and age, gender, BMI, time-point for intervention, time interval between anti-parkinson pharmacy intake and sampling, levodopa doses, duration, or severity of PD.ConclusionsDiurnal salivary cortisol rhythm was normal. Salivary cortisol concentrations were significantly reduced after the TM intervention and after RTM, but there were no significant differences between the groups and no sustained long-term effect. No associations were seen between salivary cortisol concentration and clinical and/or pharmacological characteristics.Trial registrationClinicalTrial.gov, NCT01734876 and FoU Sweden 108881.

Parkinson's disease patients' subjective descriptions of characteristics of chronic pain, sleeping patterns and health-related quality of life

Objective Nonmotor symptoms are common in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is negatively affected by different factors, of which pain and sleep disturbances are important contributors. This study was performed to evaluate and describe subjective experiences of pain, sleeping patterns, and HRQoL in a cohort of PD patients with chronic pain. Methods A total of 45 participants with established PD for more than 2 years, and PD-related pain for the preceding three months, were recruited from three sites in Sweden. Data regarding time point for onset, duration and degree of pain parameters, body localization of pain, external influences, and treatments were obtained. HRQoL was evaluated with the Short Form-36® Health Survey, and sleeping patterns were registered with the Parkinson’s disease Sleep Scale, both completed along with a questionnaire. Results In one-third of participants, pain preceded the PD diagnosis. Median pain score measured with a visual analog scale was 6.6 and 5.9 (for females and males, respectively) the week before the study. In almost half of the participants, pain was present during all their waking hours. Significantly more females described their pain as troublesome, while more males described their pain as irritating. Feelings of numbness and creeping sensations at night were strongly associated with the maximal visual analog scale scores. Polypharmacy was common; 89% used medication for anxiety/insomnia, and 18% used antidepressants. Only one-third of patients who reported pain relief with analgesics had these prescribed on their drug lists. Sleep was characterized by frequent awakenings. Urinary urgency and restless legs were frequently reported as troublesome. Patients rated HRQoL as significantly worse in all items compared with a healthy reference population matched for age and sex. Conclusions Experiences of chronic PD-related pain are complex; there is substantial sleep fragmentation and negative impact on HRQoL.

Diurnal salivary cortisol concentrations in Parkinson's disease: increased total secretion and morning cortisol concentrations

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder. There is limited knowledge about the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in PD. The primary aim of this prospective study was to analyze diurnal salivary cortisol concentrations in patients with PD and correlate these with age, gender, body mass index (BMI), duration of PD, and pain. The secondary aim was to compare the results with a healthy reference group. Methods: Fifty-nine PD patients, 35 women and 24 men, aged 50–79 years, were recruited. The reference group comprised healthy individuals matched for age, gender, BMI, and time point for sampling. Salivary cortisol was collected at 8 am, 1 pm, and 8 pm, and 8 am the next day using cotton-based Salivette® tubes and analyzed using Spectria® Cortisol I125. A visual analog scale was used for estimation of pain. Results: The median cortisol concentration was 16.0 (5.8–30.2) nmol/L at 8 am, 5.8 (3.0–16.4) at 1 pm, 2.8 (1.6–8.0) at 8 pm, and 14.0 (7.5–28.7) at 8 am the next day. Total secretion and rate of cortisol secretion during the day (8 am–8 pm) and the concentration of cortisol on the next morning were lower (12.5 nmol/L) in the reference group. No significant correlations with age, gender, BMI, duration of PD, Hoehn and Yahr score, Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale III score, gait, pain, or cortisol concentrations were found. Conclusion: The neurodegenerative changes in PD does not seem to interfere with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Salivary cortisol concentrations in PD patients were increased in the morning compared with the reference group, and were not influenced by motor dysfunction, duration of disease, or coexistence of chronic or acute pain.

ECT in Parkinson's disease-dopamine transporter visualised by [123I]-beta-CIT SPECT.

Summary. Parkinsons disease (PD) is characterised by a loss of dopaminergic neurones in the basal ganglia. These neurones may be visualised by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with the cocaine analogue 2β-carboxymethyl-3-β-(4-iodophenyl)tropane ([123I]β-CIT), which labels the dopamine reuptake sites in the nerve terminals. In order to evaluate the possibility to predict the outcome of ECT a prospective study was per-formed with six PD patients in whom the [123I]β-CIT uptake was measured before and after an electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) series. The side-to-side difference in the radiotracer uptake was found to be significantly lower in striatum located contralaterally to the part of the body with the most pronounced symptomathology. No significant change in uptake of the radioligand was seen after ECT. Patients with best uptake and thus with less advanced PD improved most after ECT. The possibility to use the [123I]β-CIT uptake to predict the outcome of ECT treatment has to be further evaluated.